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Tracy of Parker AZ (04/14/08)
I am stuck in hughesnet hell also. Aside from sending in a complaint to the Maryland Attorney General; I don't think there's anything that can be done. We have been duped, fair and simple....promised a service that not only falls WAY short of what is advertised, (if it works at all), but is provided by a company who obviously doesn't know what customer service means.
Cora of Whitewater WI (03/30/08)
Originally ordered Hughes net because there was no alternative besides dial-up where we live, $70/month until contract expired. After contract expired our neighbors ran into the dish, to get it re-hooked up Hughes net forced us to sign a two-year contract and charged us a $500 hook-up fee again (which the neighbors paid for). Now that we want to move they are charging us $300 for breaking the contract. It is not high-speed because of their fair access policy. They need to be investigated, I think they are a monopoly on dish internet services, and are charging far more than their product is worth.
Stephanie of St. Pauls NC (03/27/08)
A couple of years ago I purchased the Hughesnet System which cost me $600.00. After paying on that each month for the first two years (in addition) to the $60.00 monthly charge for service, my system all but stopped working. I have called, emailed and tried to chat with them on line about this issue. I know I have spent at least 10 hours on the phone with tech. support.
Each time we go through the same ordeal of checking to see if my system is set up correctly. Of course, it always is. Then I have to go through three days of running a System Speed Test for them to look at. When I call back on the fourth day the same process starts all over again. Technical Support transfers you to billing, billing transfers you back to tech support and the new person you are talking to wants you to start the process all over again. Meanwhile IF my system works at all, it is much, much slower then dial up. I cannot check my email half of the time not to mention having the opportunity to watch movies, download music, play games, log into one of my online classes or anything else that you should be able to do.
I live in the country so my choices are very limited for service. At this point I am seriously thinking about opting out for Accelerated Dial-Up. I think it would be better then HughesNet. I am advising anyone that may be considering service with HughesNet to think seriously about it. You are going to spend a lot of money and the service will be terrible. The customer service is even worse. You will be talking with someone half way around the world who really does not care if you are a satisfied customer or not. I wish there was a way to stop them from false advertisement and ripping off consumers. Maybe a Class Action Suit or something. They need to held accountable.
Chris of Rexford NY (03/26/08)
I ordered service and it was installed on 2/5/08. On 2/7/08 I called to cancel service as it was far below acceptable. After over 2 hours on the telephone trying to cancel and speaking with 1 customer rep, 2 supervisors and finally a manager I was rudely told account would be canceled. The following month my credit card was charged for service. I called again and they told me the account was not canceled. They told me to cancel now it is after the 30 day period and now I am responsible for a $700 charge. I told them I canceled 2 days into service and have the case number and documentation but they won't listen and insist I owe this money. I am supposed to return the equipment within 60 days to receive a credit but they will not supply me with the de-install and return instructions and now I will be over the 60 day return policy before they refuse to accept the return.
Jessie of Emmet AR (03/24/08)
I live in the country and when I heard that Hughes Net Satellite Internet Service was available in my area, I was so excited. I paid the $500 equipment fee plus an additional $125 installation fees. I pay $59.99 a month. For the first 15 months all was good, fast service. But in December of '07 the service became slower and slower. Sometimes I could not even connect for service. Their was always a status degraded message and it said the web acceleration status is not operational. I have called at least 5 times before I started writing down my case #'s to document. I now have 4 case #'s documented. I believe if you pay for a service then you should at least get the service. I have complained to the support people, the advanced support people and customer service. Nothing has been done. I even had one of the advanced people tell me that this happens to customers all the time. Living in the country I do not have access to DSL. It is not right for companies like Hughes Net to be allowed to steal from people. I call it stealing b/c they are taking money for a service that is not being provided.
Economically I spend $59.99 per month for a service that works maybe 50% of the time. That is at least $30 per month that is wasted.
Jim of Cisco TX (03/08/08)
I subscribed to HN because I have no alternative for internet access and I use the internet for school, banking and correspondence. I was never told about the FAP until 3 days after I started using HN. At times the speed is as slow as, if not slower, then dial-up...when it works. Half the time the service just shuts off and I have to restart. Other times the web acceleration or TCP status is in limp mode, like some version of idle. It does not matter what the weather conditions are at any time. I have emailed CS and went to chat...no help. I seriously have no other means to access my business - and at $500.00 installation and $60.00 a month, outrageous. I had Yahoo DSL for 2 years at $15.00 a month, no installation fees and unlimited D/L ability. I lost their service 1 time due to an upgrade, that's it. I will NOT recommend HN to anyone and will in fact discourage it unless, like me, they have no alternative. As soon as DSL becomes available out here, I'm done with HN, it's a ripoff.
Dennis of Waverly TN (02/20/08)
They advertise high speed internet, but once you buy all the equipment and get going, all of a sudden you are slower than dial up ever was. After going through a long period trying to find out why, they inform you that you don't have unlimited high speed internet. As a matter of fact, you are very limited on what you can do on the net. Last season we watched Big Brother live feeds on dial up. Yes, it was slow and sometimes hard to even get on, but we watched it. Hughes informed us that was streaming and not allowed. Shows and movies which they advertise we can watch, are not allowed. This is false advertising no matter how you look at it.
They should be made to tell the truth! They are a little faster than dial up as long as you are only on between 2 am and 5 am. They won't try to give you even a reasonable connection unless you wait 2-3 weeks for them to come out, and they will charge you a high service call whether its their fault or not. They do expect their bill to be paid on time every time whether you have connection or not. I thought false advertising was against the law in this country but apparently not.
Kenneth, of Reddick IL (12/22/07)
Buyer beware. You see the ads on TV saying high speed internet, and Hughes Net leads you to believe that if you purchase this system you will have no more problems with surfing the net. I have had this service for 2 years now and have yet to surf at high speed. I have called numerous times since I have had this service and complained about not having high speed, and all they tell me is its faster than dial up. Sometimes when I try to get to a site, I have to click on it and go do something and hope when you get back I'm at the site I want. A lot of times screen will say recent satellite outage; try again later. This is not what I pay for. Recently I have had on going problems with signal strength and 2 lights on my modem go out. I have called many times and they finally determined that I need to upgrade my modem. I was told this was my problem, and after I get a new modem everything will be fine.
Sales told me to contact billing when my new modem was installed and I would receive credit for the time I couldn't use internet. There were many days in Nov. up to Dec. 12 when installer came out. I contacted billing, and they refuse to give me credit for those days because I was over my download limit on some days and other days I had some service. How can I have service when lights on modem are not all on? For all the problems I have had since I had this service, no one as ever told me your only allowed to download 200 mb in a 24 hour period. If you go over that you are subject to the fair access policy, and they turn your signal down so you can't use it. This is ridiculous. Most movies you may want to watch on internet are at least 600 mb or more. So forget about watching movies or downloading games or running a small business. I only wish I could get something else, but since I live in a rural area it's between this or dial up. When Hughesnet advertises for high speed internet, this is misleading because it's only high speed until you are subject to the fair access policy, then you can only crawl. Buyer Beware, to me this is fraud.
Candice of Clairton PA (08/22/07)
I purchased a 2001 Hyundai Accent brand new, I didn't buy this car for the way it looked or even for the color, I bought it for the warranty, which was a mistake because Hyundai doesn't like to honor its warranties. I have had nothing but problems with this car, I have had the transmission replaced, the engine supposedly replaced and not to mention other miscelaneous problems I have had with this car. The car currently has approximately 72,000 miles and still has 28,000 miles left on the warranty and I have had nothing but hassles from my dealer and Hyundai consumer affairs. I am forced to sell this car before it cost me anymore money which is sad because I recently paid it off. I will never recommend a Hyundai vehicle to anybody.
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Fernando of Orlando FL (07/04/07)
hello I bought a hyundai accent 2002,the transmission broke 2 years after ,as the same the air condiction and olmos everything in this car was damageand the deeler never attend me with courtesy for ever I must to fight whit them to repair my car now my car is like the worst car in the world; then I swingthen in court and now they call me courtesy manner to repair my car before go the the court.but listen because of this problem I am sicker than before and I spend a lot money .please don't buy this hyundai car it's the worst in the world.thanks
Peggy of Nichols SC (06/07/07)
Direct TV has an ad on TV stating that you can get $100.00 rebate with the purchase of Hughesnet Satalite Service for the internet. I payed for it in full, which was $499.00 with the $100.00 rebate which should make the cost $399.00. When you actually purchase it, they make it so hard to get the rebate. First they do not let you know that you have to wait 2 months to get it. Then i was told the 2 months started from the date i payed for it. When those 2 months were up they changed their story again and stated that it was 2 months after it was installed. Now they say that i need a copy of 2 invoices. I can not pull it up on the computer and they will not mail them to me. Plus, i got the best plan to get the fastest satalite service $79.99 a month and the internet is not even faster than the dial up i had. Plus, the installer never did get it working correctly & i refused when he left to sign all the paper because of it.
Susan of Remer MN (05/04/07)
I've been a customer of Direcway and Hughes for 5 years now. Everything was fine before Hughes took over! The service has slowed down to the point that it's no better than a regular ISP service.
I've been having problems with error messages of 506 for the past 2 or 3 months now. I called Hughes customer Tech service yesterday to find out what was going on.
I was told, totally out of the blue, that I was downloading too much!!! The service rep. said, I don't know whether your aware of this or not....but you can only have so many megabites downloaded per month. WHAT?????!!!! I have never been informed of this before! And I've never had the problem before, my downloading hasn't changed! I can't even bring up my own everyday sites!
I called the Attorney General's office for the State of Minnesota to complain. They agreed that this was not what they advertise on TV. I will be filing an official complaint against them with the state and I will also gather information regarding a class action lawsuit.
Christopher of Ruther Glen VA (04/30/07)
I signed up for Hughesnet internet service in January 2007. Hughesnet has a fair access policy in which they can restrict your internet speed after you exceed a certain threshold of internet usage. On April 18 2007 they made a change to their fair access policy which drastically impaired my service from HughesNet. After reading the subscriber agreement, it stated (this is copy and pasted directly from Hughesnet website)
2.3. TERMINATION BY SUBSCRIBER.
In the event that HNS modifies this Agreement, the Service or related pricing or billing terms, you may immediately terminate your account and this Agreement. Subject to your payment of the termination charges herein described, you may also do so at any other time and for any reason on written notice to HNS.
So I contacted Hughesnet to cancel my service. After speaking with one of their supervisors I was informed I would still have to pay the termination fee of $300.00 even though they made a change to their service. After several minutes of discussing the issue of the termination fee she stated they cannot waive the fee and even with the wording in the subscriber agreement I am subject to the fee. She also stated she understood how it could be perceived with the first sentence of the cancellation agreement being In the event that HNS modifies this Agreement, the Service or related pricing or billing terms, you may immediately terminate your account and this Agreement. that they can still charge you the fees.
Not only have I paid for a service which they can put you in the fair access policy, they can randomly restrict your speed but I have also been sent a bill for a $300 termination fee.
Patricia of Mcminnville OR (11/20/06)
Their ads say all you need is a clear view of the southern sky. We interpreted clear to mean with obstructions but, after installing the system, discovered that it really means no precipitation, fog or even minor weather conditons (we can't get a signal when it's slightly overcast or on mornings we have frost.) Most of the Hughes customer service people we've talked to have tried to be helpful but there doesn't seem to be much they could do.
They offered to send someone to look at it but wouldn't guarantee that it wouldn't be the same guy who installed it. That fellow walked out before we were up and running (we had to figure it out ourselves) and we later learned that some new extra equipment he sold us was actually used equipment in new boxes. We've tried to find someone locally (and are willing to pay them ourselves) but they say there isn't much they can do. We later talked with the representative of another company that provides satellite service who said they warn their customers up front that Oregon's rainy, overcast weather can be a big problem. At the least, Hughes should do the same.
We paid $600 up front and we're paying $59.99 a month for service that isn't available to us more than 3/4 of the time during the fall, winter and spring. And they've got us locked in for 15 months.
Richard of Tyler TX (09/09/06)
FOR YEARS, (I AM NOT KIDDING)! I have been subscribed to 2-way internet thru hughes. (Direcway). I have service speed of 48kps. (slightly higher than dialup) and I have reported it MANY MANY MANY times, and after 4 hours on hold (AGAIN, I AM NOT KIDDING) I get the same runaround about trying certain things and eventually results in dialing in to reset the box which requires my hanging up the phone to use a modem. I have ALWAYS given up after 10 hours or so of ordeal per incident. Finally I am 1000% fed up. And I am requesting refund of service - got laughed at.
I suggested they check the logs and see if my speed ever achieved even 10% of what they advertise. They HAVE the ability, but refused to do so! I personally feel (due to my technical background) that the system is not installed properly, when I insist the matter they inform me it will be a $170 charge to have a tech arrive. What part of this is acceptable. And if I am dealing with the wrong agency please let me know. FCC, BBB, PUC, who do I file with about this?
SERIOUSLY degraded service, resulting in the inability to actually use the system for anything other than email which usually times out. I have spent over 4300 with this company and they still do not take me seriously. (IT TOOK 2.5 MINUTES TO LOAD THIS PAGE FORM, I HOPE IT DOES NOT TIMEOUT UPLOADING AGAIN)!
Sam of Lexington TN (08/19/06)
I purchased a satelite internet system from them in June 2005. I paid them for the installation and first month of service up front. The installer that was hired by Hughes Network Systems installed the dish with it pointing directly at the only tree in my front yard. This greatly interupted the signal from the satelite. I made several requests to have it relocated only to have a technician come out and re-point not re-locate my dish. This solved nothing. I have made my most recent attempt to have it relocated and have been told that they could relocate it but there would be a $125.00 charge. This seems so unfair. I paid Hughes for the installation. They hired the installer. Why should I have to pay again.
I have paid a total of $1620.00 to them in the last 15 months and have received poor service.
Alan of Scottsdale AZ (07/30/06)
I signed up with Hughes for satellite internet at my vacation home. For the last 2 days, the connectivity for upload speeds that I pay for 200kbs have been 0-10 kbs, which is slower than dial-up modem. I have submitted email form requests for technical support, and spent hours on the phone trying to get the escalated technical support they said I was eligible for.
The first time this occured, I waited 30 minutes on hold before giving up. I called back hours later, and the first gentlman said it would be 2-3 minutes. I waited 20 and gave up. I called back, and was told I would be connected right away. I spent 40 minutes on hold. The THIRD time, I was transferred and actually waited one hour and 50 minutes. A woman's voice would let me know every 3 minutes that my hold time was more than 15 minutes and suggested calling back at [unspecified] less busy times. Then her message changed to, your hold time is 5-15 minutes, so I thought I was getting closer. Twenty minuntes later, her message reverted to the more than 15 minutes.
Their customer service methods provide NO means to get human help. Their email forms are returned with donotreply@hughes.net addresses, their phone menus offer no means to get to a human operator. IN fact, I have no resources to obtain customer service. Their records indicate my case has been escalated but waiting almost 2 hours on hold is inexcusable.
Keith of Central City, CO (07/01/06)
Officially On April 22, 2006, Direcway.com became Hughes Network Systems. Ever since that date, I have been experiencing connection issues, while Direcway NEVER had any troubles. Now they are Hughes and I will be lucky if I can finish this complaint before losing connection.
I live on a mountain top, south of Central City, CO. Satellite is my only option for internet and Hughes is the only provider. I pay $ 59.99 a month for what should be 24/7 service, and only getting about half of that. I can not even get satisfactory assistance or answers through their customer care people.
Debra of Richmond IN (05/27/06)
I recently purchased a satellite internet system at an expense of $725 from HughesNet (formerly DirecWay). After four days of spending countless hours with their technicians, and incurring additional expense to hire an independent, certified computer technician examine the issues, I have internet connection speeds slower than dial-up.
HughesNet customer service departments will not answer their phone lines or return phone calls or respond to emails for assistance. A technician from somewhere half around the world finally said their obligation was to provide a connection, not speed. Ironic their advertising is for high speed internet connection and their marketing is geared to consumers who like me, have no alternative other than dial-up.
Richard Pallaziol of Napa CA (05/10/06)
Their broadband internet service is fine - until it rains. At least in Napa, CA, even a light drizzle was enough to stop all transmission. It is a known problem that the company does not disclose until you call in to complain about the loss of service.
No damage, but potential business clients should know that service is not 24/7 unless there are sunny skies.
Jo of Randolph NE (11/17/05)
I called up Directway and they told me they would have an installer come and install the satellite. Direcway hired a company from Michigan to install my dish. The installer was a young man with very little experience. It took him over three hours to set the dish up. He tried to get both my new computers to work with the direcway modem and he could not get my PC nor my notebook to work with the direcway modem. In the mean time I already signed the contract for him to install the dish and I was left with no service. I spent over 2 hours on the phone with the tech support and I was finally able to get one computer online.
My fastest upload speed was 4.35 kbps which is nowhere close to what they promised me. The direcway support & the installer both said it would be at least 6 to 8 times faster then dial-up. I was unable to surf while I was uploading because of the poor installation. I found out over 4 months later that the dish was never fastened down tight and every time the wind would blow I would have no signal for minutes and sometimes over 8 hours at a time. Now Direcway wants to charge me over $700 for terminating my service early for a service I never had and also wants to charge me for a modem that the second installer Pete from the same company in Michigan took with him and never returned to Direcway.
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